Machine for breasting louis heels



March 27, 1956 E. PONDER ET AL Q MACHINE FOR BREASTING LOUIS HEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12, 1953 INVENTORS RAYMOND fig March 27, 195 R- E. PONDER ET AL MACHINE FOR BREASTING LOUIS HEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12. 1953 NQE INVENTORS RAYMOND E. PONDER LUDWIG G. F?- HAFNER Arron/Var United States Patent MACHINE FOR BREASTENG LOUIS HEELS Raymond E. Ponder and Ludwig G. P. Hefner, St. Louis,

Mo.; said Ponder assiguor to Quirk Machinery Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 386,144

4 Claims. (Cl. 12-1233) This invention pertains to machines for making heels for shoes, and more particularly, for performing the operation of breasting Louis heels.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple mechanism whereby the breast surface of such a heel may be cut in one operation at the same time the lip portion thereof may be cut to any desired curvature.

Another object is to provide such a machine with means whereby the front edge of the lip may be trimmed to a straight surface simultaneously with the breasting operation.

In accordance with this invention, generally stated, the heel blank is clamped in a holder which is pivoted on a slide. At the same time, an extension of the holder is both pivotally and slidably engaged with a fixed pivot which is oiiset from the slide. As the heel blank in the holder is moved in a straight path along the slide, the engagement of the extension with the fixed pivot causes it to rotate. During this movement, the blank is carried past a rotary breast cutter, which cuts both the breast surface and the curved lip surface. At the same time, a separate lip cutter engages the blank immediately after it passes the breast cutter. This lip cutter is camoperated to cause it to move relatively to the holder so as to trim a straight end surface on the lip.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a diagram showing the geometrical relations of the parts which cause the desired movement of the blank with relation to the breast cutter;

Fig. 2 is an inside view of the blank-forming mechanism taken about on line 2-2 of Fig. 4 with parts omitted;

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 2 as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow D, and

Fig. 4 is a lower end view of the mechanism taken in the direction of the arrow B.

The general plan of operation is illustrated in Fig. 1. The heel blank 1 is mounted on a pivot 2. The pivot 2 is mounted on a slide which moves along the line A-B past a rotating breast cutter C. The blank holder which is pivoted at 2 has a downward extension both pivotally and slidably engaged with a fixed pivot 3, which is offset from the line A-B as shown. This pivot is adjustable to any position between the limits 3 and 3'. The former causes the lip to be cut on a short radius, while the latter produces the same effect on a longer radius, these being appropriate to narrow and wide heels respectively. As the pivot 2 slides downward along the line A-B, the extension slides along the pivot 3 so that as the movement continues, the blank is rotated about the pivot 2 as it passes the cutter C. This action cuts the breast surface, and also the curved surface 4 of the lip.

Referring now to the other views, the blank holder, indicated generally at 5, is pivoted on the stud 2 and carries a clamping jack 6 operated by a pneumatic cylinder 7 in the usual manner. The holder has a slotted extension 8 which slides on a slide 9 pivoted on the fixed 2 pivot 3. The pivot 3 is mounted on a slide 10 adjustable in fixed ways 11 by a screw 12. The pivot 2 is mounted on a carriage 13 which slides on a pair of parallel supporting rods 14 mounted on a suitable base 25 As shown in Fig. 2 (in which figure the support for the heel blank has been omitted in order to show the slide 9, but the heel blank is shown in the position it would occupy on said support), the holder 5 is in its initial position (shown in broken lines) on the slide formed by the rods 14. Its sliding movement is imparted by a pneumatic cylinder 15 whose piston rod 16 is connected to the carriage 13. This slide is mounted on the base 25 at an angle so as to slant downward from the initial position of the holder 5 as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. In this initial position, the holder is so placed that it may receive a heel blank from a horizontal loading belt 17 of any suitable type moving in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2.

In the operation of this portion of the mechanism, a blank is carried by the belt 17 and deposited on the platform 18 of the holder 5 whereupon the cylinder 7 operates to clamp the blank. The cylinder 15 is then energized to pull the carriage 13 downward along the slide. This carries the blank in the holder past the cutter C. At the same time, the engagement of the extension 8 with the pivot 3 causes the holder to rotate about that pivot as it passes the cutter C. At the end of the down-stroke of the carriage 13, the cylinder 7 operates to release the blank, which drops out of the holder into a suitable receptacle. The cylinder 15 then acts to return the slide to its initial position. Suitable timing means, not shown, for energizing and de-energizing the cylinders 7 and 15 may be provided.

There is also provided, as stated above, a cutter for trimming the lip of the blank. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a motor 20 carries the lip cutter 21 which is positioned so as to engage the lip of the blank just after it has been operated upon by the cutter C. The motor 20 is mounted on a slide 22 which slides upon rods 26 and 27 mounted on a support 28 on the base 25. This mounting renders the cutter 21 movable toward and away from the blank holder. This movement may be biased by a spring 29 urging the cutter toward the holder. The slide 22 carries a cam 23 positioned to engage a follower 24 in the form of a roller carried by a bracket 30 mounted on the carriage 13. The purpose of this cam is to compensate for the fact that the movement of the blank 1 is on a pivot angular to the cutter so that if the cutter were fixed, it would cut a curved surface. The cam 23 is shaped so as to eliminate the curve and cut a plane end on the lip.

It will be seen that this invention provides a simple mechanism for cutting this portion of a heel. Since the axis of the pivot 2 and that of the cutter C are parallel, the cutter may be given a plane end face, and therefore will cut the breast of the heel to a plane surface while at the same time cutting the lip to the desired curvature. This curvature is adjustable by adjusting the pivot 3 to any position between 3 and 3' and when so adjusted, remains in a fixed position. Since the breast surface, the curved surface of the lip, and the end surface of the lip are all formed in one operation, no subsequent trimming is necessary.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention. Parts of the invention may be used without the whole and improvements may be added while retaining some or all of the advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a machine for breasting Louis heels, a slide, a heelblank holder movable alongsaid slide and pivotally movable relatively thereto, a fixed pivot offset from said slide, and an extension on said holder having combined pivotal and sliding engagement with said fixed pivot.

2. In a machine for breasting Louis heels, a slide, a heel-blank holder movablealong said slide and pivotally movable relatively thereto, a fixed pivot offset from said slide, and an'extension on said holder having a recess extending longitudinally thereof and engaging said pivot for combined sliding and pivotal movement relative thereto.

3. In a machine for 'breasting Louis heels, a slide, a heel-blank holder movable along said slide and pivotally in relation thereto, a fixed pivot offset from said slide, an extension onsaid holder having combined pivotal and sliding engagement with said fixed pivot, and meansfor adjusting the oifset of said fixed pivot from said slide.

4. In a machine for hreasting Louis heels, a base, a pair of guide rods supported in parallel relation on said base to provide a slide, a carriage mounted on said slide for movement therealong, means for moving said carriage, a second slide on said base extending in a direction transverse to that of said first slide, a pivot adjustable to a series of fixed positions along said second slide, and a heel-blank holder pivoted on said carriage and having an extension pivotally and slidably engaged with said first pivot.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,669,672 Pollard May 15, 1928 

